I Cured the Mastermind and Failed to Run Away - Chapter 17

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 17

I knew she’d ask me that.
“I’m only a rank-ten Purifier, but I have a hidden ability.”
Of course, no such ability existed.
“A hidden ability?”
“Ever heard the rumor? They say a Purifier who received a Divine Call has appeared. It’s all over the Capital these days. Well, I have an ability just like that.”
If God were listening, He’d say “I never did any such thing,” but I’d come to a quiet understanding with myself.
‘I’ll tell you it was for the sake of the world’s peace and Sophia’s peace.’
Sophia wasn’t going to run off to an actual temple to verify the truth of the Oracle.
“An ability to recognize Purifiers? Something like that?”
“Something like that. I can’t recognize all of them. Only the chosen ones. It’s hard to explain in detail.”
A flicker of suspicion crossed Sophia’s eyes.
“If you really don’t believe me, I can confirm right now whether you’re actually a rank-two Purifier. I won’t force you. But why would I tell a lie that’d be exposed the moment you checked? And think about it—if that weren’t the case, how would I have found you?”
“W-well, that’s true.”
It was hard to understand, but since there was no other explanation for the situation, Sophia barely managed to suppress her doubt.
“Since it’s an unknown ability, I wasn’t planning to tell anyone about it, but you’ve found out.”
“Oh, I won’t tell anyone. I don’t have anyone to tell, anyway.”
“Still, now that you know my secret, I can’t just leave things as they are.”
At Rubelin’s murmur, Sophia tensed. Her face tightened as she quietly slipped one leg back out from under the table.
“Come with me, Sophia.”
“If you kill me to silence me, a body will still remain… I’m sorry?”
“What?”
What in the world was she thinking?
Seeing Sophia’s grave expression, Rubelin hastily added an explanation.
“Patronage. I’m talking about patronage. I’m going to sponsor you.”
If Sophia disliked it, Rubelin wouldn’t force her to become a Purifier outright, but she had no intention of simply leaving her be.
She felt a sense of responsibility for Sophia’s life, so different now from the original story.
‘Even if you don’t work as a Purifier, I’ll sponsor you to help you study what you want.’
In the original story, Sophia had studied Herbalism alone to such a degree that it was mentioned—she had both interest and talent for it. If Rubelin could help her walk that path, she might become a renowned herbalist.
“I’ll make sure you can learn whatever you want, and I’ll take responsibility for everything—your food, your shelter, your entire life.”
“Why? Why would you do that?”
Rubelin tapped the armrest once. Sophia’s bright eyes were now filled with doubt and wariness.
“Are you perhaps planning to sell me off?”
Hm?
The wariness in Sophia’s gaze—the way she’d been watching Rubelin as though observing a madwoman—now shifted to that of someone watching a mad person with deep pockets.
“If I’d planned to sell you, I’d have already subdued you and dragged you away. You saw my Escort outside. He’s strong.”
“Perhaps you’re being careful to avoid leaving witnesses to a kidnapping?”
“Then I wouldn’t have stayed here talking for so long. The longer I linger, the more witnesses and evidence accumulate.”
Rubelin tapped the teacup that her lips had touched. As if to say: this is evidence too.
Sophia, robbed of any counter-argument, fell silent.
“I told you—now that you know my secret, I can’t just leave it alone.”
Rubelin offered the answer Sophia would find easiest to accept.
“Think of it as a transaction. You keep my secret, and in return, I help you live comfortably and safely.”
If she said she felt an inexplicable sense of responsibility and simply wanted to help, Sophia would never believe it as genuine kindness. Instead, her suspicion would only deepen, and everything would seem more sinister.
“…A transaction.”
With a plausible reason now in hand, Sophia murmured the words.
“Yes. And just so you know, this isn’t giving you a choice—there’s no refusal here. I need to have someone who knows my secret close by, for my own peace of mind.”
Of course, there was no secret whatsoever, but if Sophia believed she was receiving patronage in exchange for guarding a secret, Rubelin could lie as many times as necessary.
“If you’ve wanted to study something, you’re free to do so.”
“If this is patronage, how much will I need to repay you later for the funds you’ve spent on me?”
“If you simply keep my secret well, there’s naturally no need for that.”
Rubelin brought her index finger to her lips.
“Don’t you know how it works? When someone has leverage on you, they get whatever they want if they threaten you. You hold my weakness now, so I have to treat you well.”
Of course, in this case, Rubelin was simply handing Sophia a false weakness and money, nothing more.
“But in reality, people who hold leverage over someone and try to blackmail them all end up dead eventually…”
Sophia’s eyes wavered.
“So you really do mean to kill me?”
Screech—Sophia’s chair scraped backward, putting distance between them. She sat rigidly, every muscle tense.
In the original story, she didn’t think this happened. Whether the change in circumstances had made her more suspicious, or something else, she couldn’t say.
“Sophia, calm yourself.”
Rubelin leaned back against her chair with deliberate ease, widening the space between them.
“If I truly meant to kill you, I wouldn’t have brought you to my mansion where evidence could be traced.”
“Isn’t it true that murderers commit their crimes in familiar places?”
What exactly had she seen? No—how had she survived this long thinking like that?
“Sophia, let’s think about this practically.”
Rubelin pointed into the empty air with one finger.
“First, the Ethelion Mansion has many people working there. Eyes everywhere. Servants move through every corner of the estate, gardeners tend the grounds, there’s a groundskeeper for the storeroom and a stable master for the stables. The kitchens have a chef and dozens of sous chefs, and knights rotate shifts to guard the mansion. Among the hundreds of servants employed at the estate, not a single one sits idle.”
Sophia’s eyes, which had been painting imaginary scenes of being dragged to a quiet mansion and murdered, returned to the mundane reality before her.
“It would only be harder to kill you there.”
“Unless I silenced all the staff working at the estate—”
“Among hundreds of servants, surely at least one would burn with a sense of justice. How could I stop that? If I meant to kill you, I’d have done it here at this inn rather than risk such exposure.”
Faced with the weight of logic, Sophia could only brush her hair back awkwardly.
“Does that settle your doubts? Then come to my mansion, Sophia. I’ll be your patron.”
She imagined a distant future where Sophia became a renowned herbalist, her name known far and wide. Even without becoming a Purifier, it was hardly an unpleasant future.
It was perfect.
“But why must it be patronage? I mean, wouldn’t it be better if you simply hired me as a maid instead?”
That was before Sophia suddenly insisted on becoming an employer and employee—before everything fell apart.
“What?”
Rubelin, who had felt a sense of responsibility, and who would never dream of simply putting the heroine to work, was thrown off. She had meant to help Sophia learn whatever she wished, to compensate for the future she had stolen.
“Patronage is… well, it’s a good thing, but I’ve never thought about it before.”
“No, I suppose most people don’t think about receiving patronage in their daily lives.”
No one made it part of their day’s plans, deciding ‘I’ll contemplate patronage at two o’clock today.’
“I’m not sure if I’d be able to learn something well.”
“So you won’t seize the opportunity that’s come your way?”
Sophia fidgeted with her fingers.
“The fact that you’d rather be hired as a maid suggests you think maid work is easy.”
“No, that’s not what I meant.”
“Maidwork isn’t something just anyone can do. Many fail and are dismissed. From what I’ve seen, you lack the aptitude for it.”
Earlier, when she’d rummaged through her luggage bag saying she’d brew herbal tea, Rubelin had noticed the bag’s interior was in complete disarray.
“You said you were pursuing a safe and stable life?”
Rubelin’s gaze swept across the shabby, defenseless inn.
“This doesn’t look particularly safe or stable to me.”
Sophia’s cheeks flushed crimson, her own words turned back against her.
“You made a good herbal tea, though.”
Rubelin tapped the teacup before her with one finger.
“If you carry herbs around with you, you seem quite knowledgeable. You must be interested, aren’t you?”
The original story contained no information about whether Sophia had learned Herbalism out of necessity for survival, or if she’d pursued it purely out of genuine passion.
“Learning Herbalism will be useful for you. If you become a skilled and renowned herbalist, it will benefit me as well.”
Sophia offered no reply.
‘I shouldn’t push any further. It’s better to give her time to think today.’
Rubelin, who had been waiting calmly, rose to her feet. As the chair scraped against the floor, Sophia startled and looked up.
“Ah, wait!”
Though Sophia called out, Rubelin didn’t pause. She strode to the door and opened it; the Escort who had been standing guard outside followed in her wake.
Rubelin stopped and turned back.
“A previous Household Head of my family once patronized a child.”
“Really?”
“It was because the Household Head took a liking to them. Since it was their direct decision, no one could say a word against it. People asked the Household Head why they were doing this, but he never answered. Do you know what that child does now?”
Sophia, who had half-risen in an attempt to stop Rubelin from leaving, shook her head.
“They’re the head chef of our family’s main kitchens. They have dozens of disciples.”
“Oh.”
“People seek them out constantly, wanting to become their students because of their skill. Others try to recruit them away to work in their own kitchens. But out of gratitude for the patronage received from the previous Household Head, they continue working as our family’s head chef. They receive the finest treatment in the entire industry.”
She could sense the Escort turning to look at Rubelin. Rubelin ignored it.
“The herbal tea was excellent. Think it over—whether you want patronage or employment—and come find me. If you truly hate the idea of patronage, I’ll hire you as a maid. But know this: if you run, I’ll pursue you to the ends of the earth.”
After hearing Sophia’s small acknowledgment, Rubelin turned and left the inn.
The Escort walked alongside her toward where the carriage waited.
The Escort confirmed that there were no suspicious signs around before opening his mouth matter-of-factly.
“Miss.”
The two of them walked forward, eyes ahead.
“Our household’s head chef is, as far as I understand, an elite among elites—one who even studied abroad for several years to master the culinary arts in a foreign land. I doubt he’s ever received external patronage before.”
“I know, shh, keep quiet. Don’t you understand the mood?”
No sense of the room, this one.

And the next morning, early. Sophia came looking for Rubelin.
She said she would accept the patronage and would return within five days after settling her affairs.
Plan succeeded.
Rubelin had secured Sophia safely.

* * *

“I decided to offer patronage to someone I wanted to support.”
For Rubelin, acting first and reporting later was a familiar pattern.
She delivered the process and conclusion in a single sentence, raising her chin confidently.
Her father, who had been eating breakfast, went still with his mouth open. Food from his fork clattered to the plate.
“Ruby, wait a moment—what did you—hold on. What did you say?”
Arendt, who had been eating beside her, barely managed to swallow the water he’d almost spat out, then coughed.
“Rubelin. I must have misheard the word ‘patronage,’ surely? Or perhaps you misspoke. ……Yes. What, did you kill someone and leave evidence that would bring retaliation?”
“Can I hit my brother?”
Rubelin kicked hard at Arendt’s shin from under the table. Arendt dodged so well that only their father’s shin bore the sacrifice.
“Both of you, stop it.”
Her father straightened himself.
“Ruby, patronage is no trivial matter. Among the nobility, some offer patronage for competitive purposes, but it’s a question of one person’s entire future.”
“I know.”
“You cannot abandon the patronage midway simply because you’ve grown bored.”
“I wouldn’t do something like that.”
At her confident reply, Arendt shook his head.
“Rubelin, I find myself most afraid during moments when you’re overflowing with confidence.”
Rubelin tried to step on Arendt’s foot, but he dodged again, and only their father’s foot was stepped on.
The father, caught between his siblings’ quarrel, dodged with practiced ease.
“Could you tell us what sort of person you’ve decided to patronize? Ruby.”
“A friend with talent in Herbalism.”
“Huh?”
The moment Rubelin finished speaking, her father clamped his hand over his mouth.
“Could you say that again? Ruby.”
“Someone with talent in Herbalism?”
“No, after that.”
“A friend?”
“Hmm.”
Her father’s eyes glistened with what seemed like overwhelming emotion.
“A friend? Did you just say friend? Ruby.”
……
“Arendt. I didn’t mishear, did I?”
“I heard it clearly too, Father. ……So this day has finally come.”
Even Arendt nodded, clutching his own chest as though deeply moved.
There was no end to how absurd this father and son were.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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